With the busy month of July behind us, we’ll take a brief pause during August to catch our breath and plan for our fall events, including numerous plant sales and free plant swaps/shares.
You may have noticed we’ve changed the name of our newsletter from “Happenings” to “Chapter Pulse”. We hope this is a better reflection of the content that we share on a monthly basis to keep our members and subscribers informed of our chapter’s impactful work.
Featured Highlights
In Case You Missed It (or would like to watch again), the recording of our July Garden Chat, Charismatic Carnivorous Plants, is now available on our YouTube channel. For more information on carnivorous plants and Kerry’s work, visit our recent blog for a link to Kerry’s Wakelet. Many thanks to our guest speaker, Kerry Wixted, for her amazing talk, and to our Chapter Secretary, Miranda Yourick, for hosting.
Also, our chapter President’s native garden was featured in a Garden Stories video created by Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership. You can read more on our Facebook post.
Upcoming Events
Thank you to chapter members who were involved in activities and events last month! Our upcoming events have something for everyone, and volunteers are always welcome! If you would like to volunteer at any of our upcoming events or at our garden workdays, please email us. We rely on volunteers to help make our events successful and to make our garden workdays so much fun (“Many hands make light work!). Your support helps our chapter grow and ensures our vision of native plants and natural landscapes thriving in every community.
Tots in the Front Yard: Water in the Front Yard Garden
📆 Saturday, August 22nd, 2026
⏰ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
📍Leonardtown Library, 23630 Hayden Farm Ln, Leonardtown, MD, 20650 Map
Explore the garden and go on guided nature walks!
Tots in the Front Yard family garden walks will be led by Master Gardener volunteer Deb Pence and other volunteer community garden enthusiasts in the Leonardtown Library’s “Front Yard Garden.” Activities and guided walks are developed for 3–6 year-olds, but the whole family is welcome to join in the explorations. Children must be accompanied by an adult, and parents should note there will most likely be exposure to nuts, seeds and other plant parts as well as a variety of pollinators, so please be advised for potential allergens. Read more…
Tots in the Front Yard: Pollinators in the Front Yard Garden
📆 Saturday, September 5th, 2026
⏰ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
📍Leonardtown Library, 23630 Hayden Farm Ln, Leonardtown, MD, 20650 Map
Explore the garden and go on guided nature walks!
Tots in the Front Yard family garden walks will be led by Master Gardener volunteer Deb Pence and other volunteer community garden enthusiasts in the Leonardtown Library’s “Front Yard Garden.” Activities and guided walks are developed for 3–6 year-olds, but the whole family is welcome to join in the explorations. Children must be accompanied by an adult, and parents should note there will most likely be exposure to nuts, seeds and other plant parts as well as a variety of pollinators, so please be advised for potential allergens. Read more…
Providence’s Fall Plant & Pottery Sale! (Two Days!)
📆 Friday and Saturday, September 11th and 12th, 2026
⏰ 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
📍Providence Greenhouses, 370 Shore Acres Rd, Arnold, MD, 21012 Map
Join us on Friday, September 11th and Saturday, September 12th from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM for Providence’s Fall Plant and Pottery Sale! A selection of native plants grown by AACO Repollinate are expected to be available. Read more….
FREE Plant Share/Swap
📆 Saturday, September 12th, 2026
⏰ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
📍Deale Library, 5940 Deale Churchton Rd, Deale, MD, 20751 Map
A collaboration between Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay, Deale Library, and Southern Maryland Native Plant People. Native plants will be shared with participants. A table with information regarding the benefits of native plants, Wild Ones membership information and plant lists for native plant conditions and garden design. Read more…
Fall Native Plant Sale at Earthly Delights Native Gardening LLC
📆 Saturday, September 12th, 2026
⏰ 12:00 6m – 6:00 pm
📍The Earthly Delights Nursery, 14406 Triadelphia Mill Rd, Dayton, MD, 21036 Map
Join Earthly Delights for the first time ever at our native plant nursery!! Come shop at our plant sale and mini maker’s market to kick off fall planting season!! We will have great prices on plugs and quarts of many species of home-grown natives that are more than ready to go into your garden! In addition, you can browse nature-inspired art and clothing made by Miranda, ceramics by Fea Pottery, homemade baked goods, and more to come! Read more…
Recent News Blogs
If you’re not following our News blogs, please check them out. This is one of the ways we keep our members and community up to date on what’s happening in our chapter. As always, we invite all members to contribute to our chapter’s News blog and/or social media channels. If you have anything related to native plants that you’d like to write about for publication on our News blog or social media, please email us, along with any photos or videos, and we’ll be happy to publish them. Likewise, if your work in the community has been recognized in the media or if you’ve received an award, please let us know so we can share it with our chapter members and the national office. We know our members are doing a lot of great work out in our community, and we’d like to share and recognize your accomplishments!
It’s a Wrap on Our 2026 Milkweed Distribution
During three recent events, Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay partnered with Nurture Natives to distribute close to 500 common and swamp milkweed plants (Asclepias syriaca and A. incarnata) that we propagated from seed this year. First up: UNIVERSITY PARK (UP) MEADOW DAY, which you may remember from our recent blog, Pollinator Week 2026 Highlights. Meadow Day […] Continue reading
July 2026 Garden Chat – “Charismatic Carnivorous Plants”
Attendees of our July 2026 Garden Chat were treated to an inspiring presentation by our guest speaker, Kerry Wixted. Did you know there are a variety of fens and bogs out there – some of which are calcareous and some of which are acidic. In Maryland, our main distinction is how they fill up with […] Continue reading
Nonprofit spotlight – University of Maryland Extension Master Gardeners
Have you noticed that partnerships are key to successful nonprofits? Did you know that Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay partners with University of Maryland Extension (UME) Master Gardeners in several counties? In this fourth post in our ongoing series of nonprofit organizations, we introduce you to UME Master Gardeners, whose mission, vision, and programs align with […] Continue reading
July 2026 Happenings – Floral Fireworks in a Native Garden
Don’t miss this month’s virtual garden chat where we’ll connect and learn about “Charismatic Carnivorous Plants” with our guest speaker Kerry Wixted. Carnivorous plants seem like something from folklore, but did you know we have almost 20 species growing in Maryland? Learn about carnivorous plant adaptations and species that exist around the world and in […] Continue reading
ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)
Check out the Wildr App! “Together, Wildr and Wild Ones unite innovation and community to help more people grow landscapes that support life.” – https://wildones.org/wildr/
Wildr Places App Offers Ecological Gardeners Guidance and Motivation: “There’s a lot of information out there on planting native and practicing ecological gardening but drilling down to what’s best for your own yard and its unique potential is challenging — until now, at least. Wildr Places CEO Joanna Hall and VP of partnerships and programs Zoe Evans join [Joe Gardener] to discuss how their Wildr Places app is putting the power in gardeners’ hands.” – Joe Gardener
Learn more about wildr: a new free app to guide us on our ecological journey from Margaret Roach.
Check out Mystical Gardens at NikHaven on Wildr Places.
Get started today by joining Wildr. Be sure to add your Wild Ones badge and chapter and share the link to your garden today!!
Wildly appreciative of your continued support!
✍️M.Smith
Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay is deeply rooted in native plants and cultivating partnerships, while striving to educate, advocate, and collaborate to connect people and native plants for a healthy planet. Our vision is native plants and natural landscapes thriving in every community. Check out our Events page, Google calendar, Facebook, and/or Instagram for our upcoming events. And don’t forget to subscribe to our new YouTube channel and email subscriber list!
